The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Editor David Horovitz and military correspondent Emanuel Fabian join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's episode.

The IDF said yesterday that it had successfully intercepted three drones flown by the Lebanese Hezbollah terror group that were heading for the Karish gas field off Israel’s Mediterranean coast. We’re hearing reports that the IDF had advanced information. How did that influence the interception?

According to Israeli television, also yesterday morning, the IDF allegedly hit a Syrian town near the port city of Tartus that was apparently the site of Iranian attempts to bring “game changing” air defense systems to Syria. The IDF hasn’t acknowledged the strike, but if true, what is different about this operation?

The new election date is set for November 1 but there’s still some last-minute business that has to be taken care of before the campaigns can really and truly be revved up. Horovitz brings us up to speed.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid gave his inaugural address in his new office last night. What were Horovitz's takeaways?

Lapid has already moved to Balfour, but not exactly to the residence. Where is he and why?

Finally, we speak briefly about our second ToI@10 event this Wednesday night, celebrating a decade of The Times of Israel with an evening of archaeology.

Discussed articles include:

IDF had advance intel on Hezbollah attempt to launch drones at Karish gas field

IDF shoots down 3 Hezbollah drones heading for Karish gas field

Syria says Israeli jets conduct rare daytime airstrike on southern coast

Alleged Israeli strike in Syria targeted ‘game changing’ Iranian air defenses — TV

Without naming him, Lapid seeks to portray Netanyahu as Israel’s national nemesis

Lapid moves into ‘secure’ apartment near PM’s residence, amid construction work

TICKETS for the LIVE EVENT: Hi-tech archaeology reveals secrets of ancient Jerusalem’s destructions

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IMAGE: Israeli caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid arrives for the first cabinet meeting days after lawmakers dissolved parliament, in Jerusalem, July 3, 2022. (Gil Cohen-Magen/Pool via AP)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Political correspondent Carrie Keller-Lynn and religions reporter Judah Ari Gross join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

By recording time Thursday morning, the 24th Knesset has just finished voting to disband. When is Israel set to vote?

There were a few outstanding issues that held up the breakup of the government and led to last-minute drama during the voting. Which pieces of legislation got left out in the cold?

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will officially become prime minister at midnight tonight. What does the future hold for Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and his Yamina party?

The Maccabiah Games will be held across Israel from July 12 to 26. Some 10,000 Jewish athletes from about 60 countries are expected to compete in dozens of sports. Gross explains which countries will not be sending official delegations and why.

In a way to bring Judaism to the masses, Ruthy Leviev, the daughter of Russian billionaire diamond merchant Lev Leviev, reportedly paid secular Israeli female social media stars tens of thousands of shekels each to promote Jewish ritual purity laws that relate to menstruation. Gross delves into the fallout.

Discussed articles include:

Knesset disbands, sets elections for November 1; Lapid to become PM at midnight

Russians will compete in this year’s Maccabiah Games, but Russia won’t

Billionaire’s daughter pays ‘influencers’ to tout Jewish menstruation laws

TICKETS HERE for the LIVE EVENT: Hi-tech archaeology reveals secrets of ancient Jerusalem’s destructions

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

IMAGE: The Knesset, in Jerusalem, on June 30, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman and United States correspondent Jacob Magid join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

Yesterday, US Ambassador Tom Nides implored Israeli lawmakers to support legislation that is critical for Israel to be able to join the program. Before we talk about recent developments, Magid gives us a little background on why Israel is not in the program already.

The Negev Summit this spring brought a whole lot of headlines and some questions about whether the cooperation would continue to move forward. A meeting this week of the newly minted "Negev Forum" is indicating that it will. What is the forum working on? And how is the upcoming visit of US President Joe Biden playing a role?

On the heels of potentially neutralized threats of Iranian terror against Israelis in Turkey, yesterday, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid brought the travel warning level down significantly. We hear about the significance of the recent cooperation between the two countries as they broker a warmer diplomatic relationship.

Discussed articles include:

In rare plea, US ambassador urges MKs to back bills needed for Visa Waiver Program

US warns Israeli election wrangling will hold up visa exemption program

Israel, Arab allies agree to tighten cooperation ahead of Biden visit

Israel eases Istanbul travel warning, but says threat remains throughout Turkey

TICKETS HERE for the LIVE EVENT: Hi-tech archaeology reveals secrets of ancient Jerusalem’s destructions

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE: Israeli supporters of Donald Trump wave United States and Israeli flags to support his candidacy outside the US embassy in Jerusalem on October 27, 2020. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Political correspondent Carrie Keller-Lynn and Palestinian affairs correspondent Aaron Boxerman join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's episode.

Lawmakers passed the first reading of a bill to dissolve Israel’s 24th Knesset in the early hours of Tuesday morning, putting Israel another step closer to its fifth elections in three and a half years. What else ended up happening during yesterday’s action-packed day in the Knesset? And what is still to be resolved?

Hamas’s military wing claimed on Monday night that “the health of one of its Israeli prisoners has deteriorated,” after years in which repeated attempts to reach a prisoner exchange deal between the two sides have hit a dead end. Who is being held there, for how long and how did Israel respond to this claim?

In Israel, women do not have an automatic right to an abortion, but rather must request permission from a legally mandated end-of-pregnancy committee. Yesterday, the Knesset Labor Welfare and Health Committee approved a series of changes. What’s different now?

Also yesterday, the beautiful 3rd-4th century Lod mosaic officially came back home. Visitors can now see the globe-trotting wonder of Roman craftsmanship at the Shelby White & Leon Levy Lod Mosaic Archaeological Center.

Discussed articles include:

Knesset passes 1st reading of dispersal bill; final vote set for Wednesday at latest

Public funding for political parties’ campaigns to increase by some NIS 30 million

Hamas claims health of Israeli captive ‘deteriorating,’ in rare announcement

Israel eases access to abortion, days after US Supreme Court overturns Roe vs Wade

Stunning Roman-era Lod seafaring mosaic finally drops anchor in a home of its own

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IMAGE: The empty assembly hall of the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on June 27, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Political correspondent Tal Schneider and health reporter Nathan Jeffay join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

Israel’s tit-for-tat parliamentary politics are on steroids today in the Knesset. We have bills to dissolve the government and a proposed bill to effectively block former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu from heading a new coalition. Scheneider tells us about the two pieces of legislations' chances in today's tumultuous sessions.

The US Supreme Court released a decision on Friday to repeal the federal right of abortion and to send it back to each state to decide. Schneider wrote a piece on our Zman Yisrael Hebrew sister site giving four cases in which the decision could affect Israel. She brings highlights.

Jeffay spoke with epidemiologist Prof. Ran Balicer, chair of Israel’s National Expert Advisory Team on the country’s COVID-19 response. We hear what is actually happening here with the coronavirus pandemic.

Jeffay also brings us news about an Israeli company that is set to test if fecal bacteria pills could boost cancer immunotherapy. What’s the science behind this?

Discussed articles include:

Battle lines drawn as coalition and opposition resume clash over Knesset’s fate

Government advances ‘problematic’ bill that would block defendant Netanyahu’s return

‘My country changed her face’: Pelosi responds to abortion ruling with Israeli poem

Science of uncertainty: Gov’t adviser on why this COVID wave is so hard to predict

Israeli company to test if fecal bacteria pills boost cancer immunotherapy

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

IMAGE: Magen David workers take COVID-19 rapid antigen tests from Israelis, at a Magen David Adom drive-thru complex in Jerusalem, on June 20, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Editor David Horovitz and environment reporter Sue Surkes join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's episode.

It appears that efforts to form an alternative government within the existing Knesset have failed so the Knesset is expected to pass the final legislation for its dispersal on Monday and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid to become prime minister soon after. How does Horovitz see this playing out for Lapid in the near future?

Although he still has a few days in office, what is current Prime Minister Naftali Bennett already saying about his year as PM?

We introduce our new Times of Israel docuseries, Into the Land, and hear about the impetus of the project from Horovitz. Surkes explains the premise of the first video, "Dead Sea Walking." 

On the heels of a massive and lengthy investigation, Surkes picks out a few salient points everyone should know about the dying Dead Sea.

Last week, Surkes reported on an Environment Ministry plan to stabilize the Dead Sea by limiting the volume of water that can be pumped from it for the industrial extraction of minerals. Is anything really new here?

Discussed articles include:

For Lapid, a battle against the odds to thwart Netanyahu’s comeback

Knesset set to disperse on Monday; Lapid to take over as PM in midweek

Bennett: It sounds like fiction, but Israel needs a coalition from Ben Gvir to Abbas

PM: In retrospect ‘should have taken sleeping bag’ and moved into official residence

Into the Land: Dead Sea Walking

Israel has a chance to slow the Dead Sea’s demise. Will big business get in the way?

Authorities urged to act immediately to stabilize Dead Sea levels

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IMAGE: An Israeli teen walks along a promenade into Israel's Dead Sea, 2021. (Amanda Borschel-Dan/ToI)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Hi everyone, welcome to the Daily Briefing. Today is Thursday June 23. I’m Amanda Political correspondent Carrie Keller-Lynn and Palestinian affairs correspondent Aaron Boxerman join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

Keller-Lynn gives us a picture of the mood at the Knesset. Where do things stand now with the bills to dissolve the coalition?

We talk about the sliding-doors possibility of former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu forming a coalition in the current Knesset without going to elections. Who's in and who's out?

Boxerman speaks about how voter turnout among Arab Israelis is expected to be low and how this may affect future coalitions. Also, what do you know about a re-unified Joint List with Ra'am?

We address the “trouble-making rebel” MKs. What are we hearing about their political futures?

And finally, Borschel-Dan speaks about what is to date, one of the oldest known mosques in the world, which was excavated in the Negev Bedouin city of Rahat.

Discussed articles include:

Knesset passes initial vote to disperse, setting Israel on path to elections

Yamina rebel seeks to slow Knesset’s end, to allow more time to form alternate gov’t

In improbable gambit, Shaked willing to join Netanyahu-led gov’t in current Knesset

One of the oldest known mosques in the world uncovered in Negev Bedouin city Rahat

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Illustrative image: Former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with then Israeli minister of justice Ayelet Shaked (L) during a vote at the assembly hall of the Israeli parliament on December 21, 2016. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Political correspondent Tal Schneider and religions correspondent Judah Ari Gross join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on this politically driven episode.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s coalition is set to hold the first in a series of votes for its own dissolution this morning. But are elections now a 100% reality? Could former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu still somehow scrape together a coalition from the existing Knesset?

Schneider gives us a quick breakdown of the procedural process that will begin today to dissolve the Knesset.

We talk polling. Who is in and who is out?

Gross shares what he's hearing from the ultra-Orthodox parties who have been loyal to former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu this past year.

And finally, Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef directed remarks against MK Itamar Ben Gvir in a recent sermon. Why?

Discussed articles include:

Coalition to begin process of dissolving Knesset, heralding return to upheaval

Polls point to return of dreaded deadlock in next elections, unless alliances shift

A year out of power, Haredim hail government’s downfall, credit divine intervention

Chief rabbi slams ‘fool’ Ben Gvir for Temple Mount visits that ‘stir up the winds’

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Image: Leader of the Opposition and head of the Likud party Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement to the media at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem on June 20, 2022. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur and military correspondent Emanuel Fabian join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode.

We begin with what we know about what led Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to announce the end of the year-old coalition. What should happen now? (Hint: think West Bank regulations.)

What do we know about former prime minister Bejamin Netanyahu's tactics for the coming elections?

The New York Times published a damning report blaming IDF soldiers for the death of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh on May 11 in Jenin. How do the IDF's own findings line up?

It was widely reported on Monday that Israel and its regional allies — under US leadership — are developing a joint defense pact to protect against the threat of drones and missiles by Tehran and its regional proxies. What's new here?

Discussed articles include:

Bennett announces coalition’s collapse, elections: ‘We did our utmost to continue’

Coalition looking to dissolve Knesset as soon as Wednesday in bid to foil opposition

NYT probe: Abu Akleh ‘most likely’ killed by IDF, but no indication she was targeted

IDF expands Abu Akleh probe, issues fresh call for PA to hand over fatal bullet

Gantz says regional air defense alliance has already thwarted Iranian attacks

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Image: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett attends a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, June 19, 2022. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP)

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Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

US reporter Jacob Magid and political correspondent Tal Schneider join host Jessica Steinberg for today's podcast.

Schneider discusses Israel's warning to Israeli tourists in Turkey of Iranian plans to attack Israelis, as foreign minister Yair Lapid plans to visit the region on Thursday.

Magid reviews more details about US President Joe Biden's mid-July visit to the region, and what Biden can accomplish during his trip as Israel's government wanes in power.

He also looks at the effects of the possible downgrading of the rank of the US military post tasked with bolstering security coordination between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Discussed articles include:

Lapid set to visit Turkey amid efforts to thwart Iranian attacks on Israelis there

Israelis hide out in Istanbul hotels amid Iran attack warnings: ‘Why take the risk?’

Senators urge against lowering rank of Israeli-Palestinian security ties coordinator

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

IMAGE: A Turkish police officer walks in front of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, on June 14, 2022. (Yasin Akgul/AFP)

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